Take the Lead

Honoring retired trainer Rick Schosberg, the New York State Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund will hold a 'Salute to Thoroughbred Aftercare' from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET. Sept. 10 at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, the fund said in a Friday release. Besides honoring Schosberg, who has exerted a positive influence over aftercare organizations TAKE2 and Take The Lead, attendees will watch the trailer for the documentary "Off Track: Fate of a Racehorse" and hear from the film's director, John Wager.

Fight On Lucy became the 1000th horse retired to the TAKE THE LEAD Thoroughbred Retirement Program when she boarded  van out of Belmont Park on New Year's Eve 2022. Bred by the Bongard Family's Bojan Farm, Fight On Lucy amassed earnings of $315,000 in a 39-start career over five seasons. She was trained by Pat Kelly, a founding member of TAKE THE LEAD and its sister program TAKE2. Cindy Norton, who served as Rojan Farm's manager for many years, said, "The owners were never going to run her in a...

There would be no fairytale ending Thursday at Aqueduct for trainer Rick Schosberg. Silken Dollar (Central Banker), the last horse he will start before retiring from training, finished eighth in Thursday's fourth race at Aqueduct. That's OK. Schosberg, 61, learned a long time ago that the life of a horse trainer is never that easy. "Obviously the game has changed with the emergence of unlimited stall allocations," Schosberg said. "It's really affected the competitiveness of it. It used to be that every barn had a different outfit. Now there are...

In celebration of the life and memory of celebrity David Cassidy, the 5th Annual David Cassidy: A Triple Crown Life Event will be held at Putnum Place in Saratoga Springs, NY Aug. 16. Hosted by the David Cassidy Memorial Legacy Group (DCMLG), the fundraiser aims to promote racing and to support Thoroughbred aftercare organizations, this year including the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, NYRA Cares, Take The Lead, Take2 and Columbia Greene Humane Society. Debuting in 2021, the David Cassidy Remember Me Awards...

Tired of the constant drumbeat of bad news, negativity and scandal? So am I. All the problems the sport is dealing with are not going to go away and they need to be dealt with and reported on. But I thought I'd give you and I a break in this week's edition of "The Week in Review." So here are some stories we can all feel good about. Schosberg Claims, Retires Twisted Tom In his role as the president of Take The Lead, a retirement program for Thoroughbreds based at...

The inaugural New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day at Saratoga Wednesday, July 21, will feature appearances by a pair of New York-bred fan favorites, millionaire GSW Zivo (True Direction) and 2014 GI Kentucky Derby participant Uncle Sigh (Indian Charlie). Presented by the New York Racing Association (NYRA), New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) and New York Thoroughbred Breeders (NYTB), New York Thoroughbred Aftercare Day will highlight the work of a variety of organizations committed to initiatives to benefit retired racehorses. Zivo will lead the post parade for the day's featured event...

TAKE THE LEAD Thoroughbred Retirement Program (TTL) just closed its 2019-20 fiscal year with a new mark of 135 former racehorses transitioning to second careers for the year. The previous record for the program, which was created by the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (NYTHA) in 2013, was 98 retirees for the fiscal year of 2016-17. Also celebrating its milestone 500th successful retirement last year, TAKE THE LEAD has now been responsible for 603 horses passing through its program. President Rick Schosberg oversees each retirement, which recently included popular New...